The present invention relates to an airbag system to be mounted to a vehicle such as a car. More particularly, it relates to a technique for constructing an airbag system for protecting an occupant from colliding with the sidewall of a vehicle in the event of a car accident such as a side collision or rolling.
Various techniques for constructing an airbag system have been proposed that protect an occupant from colliding with the sidewall of a vehicle such as a side window or a door in the event of a car accident such as a side collision or rolling. For example, it is known in the art to provide an airbag system having a vehicle airbag accommodated along the side roof rail; in such systems, the airbag is folded in a roll.
One example of such a conventional system is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-200809 (incorporated by reference herein) that discloses a technique of inflating and deploying a vehicle airbag smoothly by folding the vehicle airbag in a roll. However, in the conventional systems, further technical research has been necessary to achieve a high-level technique of inflating and deploying the vehicle airbag both quickly and accurately into an occupant protection region between the vehicle sidewall and an occupant.